Unconscious innocence
by Scurryfunger
Summary: tohru goes to visit her mom at the shrine with kyo, yuki, hana, and arisa but accidentally falls down a well when she goes looking for incense. first time fanfic. probably kyo/tohru, kag/inuyasha pairings DISCONTINUED
1. falling

Tohru peered cautiously down the wooden well in what she'd originally hoped was a storage shed, wondering why someone would bother to build a shed around a dry well, and why it wasn't covered up.

When Tohru had realized that she'd forgotten to bring incense for her mother's grave, she'd started to panic. Arisa, Hana, and Yuki's reassurances that her mom wouldn't mind waiting the hour or so it would take them to run to the store were unable to break through her frantic haze. It wasn't until Kyo interrupted with "why don't you just ask the shrine keeper if they have some extra incense stupid," that Tohru calmed down. She had then skipped away to find a "shrine keeper," unconscious of the fight breaking out behind her as Arisa, Yuki, and Hana attacked Kyo for insulting their beloved Tohru's intelligence.

After deciding that the family in charge of the shrine probably lived in the hose raised above the rest of the grounds, Tohru wandered around the home searching for signs of life. Before long, she had come across young boy battling invisible enemies by an enormous tree. So wrapped up in his game, the boy hadn't even noticed Tohru until he whirled around abruptly crying "Iron reaver soul stealer!" only to find himself facing a quietly smiling teenage girl. After a swift back and forth of introductions, Sota had told Tohru that she was welcome to help herself to the supplies in the storage shed by the side of the house, and then resumed his epic fight against the legions of evil.

Unfortunately, Sota's vague directions led Tohru not to the greatly desired incense, but to a strange well. Tohru's musings about wells, sheds, and incense were interrupted when a cat meandered in and perched itself on the rim of the well opposite her. Tohru started, sneezed, and instinctively stretched across the hole and grabbed the cat before it could fall in. Unbalanced by the creature's weight and wriggling, she wavered over the opening, lost her balance completely, and fell into the well letting out a little shriek of fear as she plummeted to the bottom. Before she could hit ground, and acquaint herself with the pain of broken bones and heavy bruising, a pink light flashed, and the cat landed alone, bemoaning the absence of a human cushion.

Tohru was confused. This was not an unusual state of mind for her. After all, in the past few years she'd lived with people cursed to turn into animals whenever hugged by someone of the opposite gender, but the situation she found herself in at present went far farther out of her spectrum of the ordinary. One second she was falling past ancient wooden slats towards potential death, and now here she was floating in a sparkly light pink fog. Slowly the fog dispersed, and Tohru was gently deposited at the bottom of the well. She looked around dazedly, and the first thing that registered in her mind was 'where did the cat go?' The strangeness of her surroundings quickly distracted her from the missing cat as she noticed blue skies above her instead of a wooden roof, and walls covered in dirt and roots instead of wooden slats.

Tohru's whirling thoughts came to an abrupt halt when a cry for help rent the air. Temporarily setting aside her agitation, Tohru instinctively turned towards the cry, determined to help whoever had screamed. She paused momentarily, gazing at the steep sides of the well before kicking off her black pumps, yanking her modest black dress up, and climbing up using the thick roots covering the walls of the well. She reached the top swiftly and gazed about in amazement. Everything familiar was gone! She was alone in the middle of a forest! Another scream snapped Tohru out of her shock, and she took off running in the direction of the call.


	2. pink light?

Running over the forest floor, Tohru felt the twigs and rocks digging into her tender feet, but she disregarded the twinges of pain. Suddenly she burst into a clearing filled with flowers and saw the source of the cries. A young girl in a pink kimono, her brown hair pulled up into a high ponytail, was lying just a few feet from Tohru, as if she had tried to make a break for the trees but tripped in her over eagerness. Tohru rushed to her side and knelt down to see if the girl had any injuries.

A snarl interrupted Tohru's examination, and, looking up from the prone child, she saw her attacker for the first time. A gigantic weasel crouched in the flowers a short distance away. The beast had enormous red eyes, and with increasing alarm, Tohru noticed its extremely sharp white fangs were bared in a hungry growl.

The girl next to Tohru stirred, and upon seeing the trembling teenager kneeling next to her, transfixed by the weasel demon, recovered some of her courage and spoke, "Don't worry, Lord Sesshomaru will rescue Rin, but Rin thinks we should hide in the forest until Lord Sesshomaru can come find us."

Tohru turned panic-stricken eyes to her young companion, and, nodding automatically, helped "Rin" rise to her feet. Before they could make a dash for the trees though, the weasel sprang towards them, zoning in for a kill. Tohru raised her hands in a futile defense, hoping to at least shield Rin from the 6 inch claws swiftly approaching. She watched in shock as pink light, which she distantly noticed was the same hue as the fog from the well, erupted from her fingertips, forming a sparkling shield against the weasel.

However, the demon did not meet its death via disintegration by holy powers, but why sword and claw. Before it could even touch the sparkling barrier, a new being entered the clearing, grabbed the weasel demon mid spring, and slammed it into the ground a fair distance away.

Tohru, who was beginning to hope this was all some horrible nightmare, stared at her hands which had returned to their usually flesh tones, but then looked up when Rin joyfully cried "Sesshomaru-sama!"

This new creature, this "Sesshomaru," shook Tohru even more than the weasel had. The weasel had been completely animalistic, definitely abnormal, but perhaps the result of a genetic experiment gone wrong, or a new species of super-sized predator. "Sesshomaru," however, was a frightening mixture of ordinary and alien, man and beast. His features reminded her of Ayame, the beautiful face and long flowing white hair, but his expression more closely resembled Hatori, an icy distant mask. Glowing amber eyes, fangs, pointed ears, and claws betrayed an otherworldly heritage.

Tohru was so caught up gazing at this new shock to her system that she didn't even notice when Rin ran to Sesshomaru's side and started chattering about flowers, weasel demons, and pretty kind ladies that shot out pink lights. Her eyes were still absorbing his appearance, having moved on from his features to his apparel, puzzling over the long furry thing draped over his shoulder, the red and white kimono, and the swords hanging from his belt.

A smooth masculine voice snapped Tohru out of her abstraction, and she blushed, embarrassed to have been gazing so rudely at a complete stranger.

"Silence Rin," Sesshomaru said to the short girl jabbering next to him, "go to Ah Un." Rin obediently skipped off, humming and gathering flowers as she went.

Tohru watched in dismay as the only human she'd met so far in this strange world skipped gaily away before turning to the lordly being standing frigidly before her.

"You will tell this Sesshomaru who you are and why you are here, you will not lie, or else this Sesshomaru will not hesitate to kill you."

Tohru gulped at the death threats before stumbling into a frantic explanation.

"I'm Tohru Honda, I'm a high school student from Tokyo, and live with the Sohma family because my parents are dead. I was visiting my mother's grave when I fell through a well and ended up here. I heard screams and ran to help. Umm, I'm afraid I don't know where I am, this place is so different from what I'm used to, and I've never met someone like you before. I'm so sorry to have caused you any trouble, if you could just tell me where I am, I'm sure I could find my way home and not trouble you anymore. Maybe I could jump back through that well. Oh! I'm so sorry if that didn't make any sense, but I'm just so confused-"

"Enough. This Sesshomaru has heard enough of your human ramblings; he wishes to know if you are an ally of the miko Kagome."

Tohru stared blankly, racking her memory. Did she know a Kagome?

"Umm, I don't know any Kagomes, or mikos."

"Hnn." Sesshomaru eyed Tohru placidly, silently sizing her up.

Tohru bowed her head under his quiet scrutiny, wriggling her toes and distractedly wishing she hadn't left her shoes in the well. Finally, an ultimatum was delivered.

"Human, this Sesshomaru is inclined to be merciful. You may leave."

Tohru gaped, not sure whether she should thank him, run, or ask the million questions still racing through her head. A few crucial realizations hit her before she could act on any of those impulses. She didn't know where the well was, or if it would even get her back home. There were obviously dangerous things in this place, and sunset was quickly closing in.

It was at that moment that Rin returned, accompanied by a two-headed dragon and a short toad-like creature carrying a staff. Rin turned to Sesshomaru and innocently queried, "Is the nice lady with the pink light joining Rin?"

Sesshomaru glanced at the frozen human who had yet to make a hasty retreat into the forest and replied with an ambiguous "Hnn" before turning and walking away, followed by the toad creature who was already apologizing for losing Rin and blaming it on flowers.

Rin took the Hnn to mean yes, and, running over to the barefoot teenager, eagerly grabbed her hand and said "Rin is so happy she has a new friend, may Rin ask what your name is?"

Tohru allowed herself to be lead away by the cheerful, energetic young girl and found herself answering, as if from a great distance, "Tohru, my name is Tohru Honda."


	3. waves

Kyo stood sulking off to the side as Yuki, Arisa, and Hana talked politely about school and ignored the moody cat. Predictably, soon after Tohru left, Kyo lost his fight with Yuki, and since he had insulted Tohru, her friends were temporarily ignoring him. 'I was only trying to help, dammit' Kyo muttered under his breath. He didn't mean to insult her, and Tohru's feelings hadn't been hurt, so why were they angry with him anyway? At least, Kyo mused, he didn't think she'd been upset, she'd run off so quickly he couldn't be certain.

Kyo's thoughts were interrupted when Hana suddenly spoke up, a hint of alarm tinging her usually unflappable demeanor.

"Tohru is gone."

"Of course she is. Remember, she went to get incense for her Mom?" Kyo irritably replied.

Ignoring Kyo's statement of the obvious, Yuki politely inquired "What do you mean Ms. Hanajima?"

"Yeah Hana, why is she gone?" Arisa anxiously asked.

Hana's eyes clouded as she tried to put her intuition into words.

"Her waves are gone, there was a burst of energy just now, her wave became agitated, and suddenly the disappeared."

The same thought hit everyone in the group at once. If her "waves" were gone, did that mean Tohru was dead, or maybe hurt or kidnapped?

"Hana, can you lead us to where you felt Tohru disappear?" Arisa urgently asked.

"Yes" Hana replied before swiftly walking towards the large house raised above the shrines, her elegant black dress and cloak billowing impressively behind her.

Disagreements temporarily shoved aside; Arisa, Yuki, and Kyo followed Hana up the long flight of stairs leading up to the house, around the side, and into a small shed that contained only a dry well.

Here Hana stopped, and peering down into the empty depths of the well said, "Here is most certainly where she disappeared. I can still sense something strange about this well, though Tohru's waves are absent." A soft meow suddenly sounded from the bottom of the well. Kyo started, and joined Hana in leaning over the hole, trying to make out the bottom. Abruptly, he sprang into the well.

Yuki sighed, and muttered something like 'stupid cat.' Arisa just called out "Any sign of Tohru?"

"Nope, but there is a cat down here."

"Maybe Tohru turned into a cat?" Arisa speculated, trailing off hopefully and trying not to consider more deadly alternatives. Hana just stared at her deadpan, and Kyo, having heard what Arisa said, yelled up "Definitely not, it's a guy."

Yuki chose this moment to speak up. "Perhaps we should explain the situation to the owners of this property. They might be able to shed some light on the situation, or even know where Tohru disappeared to."

Hana stood from her crouch by the well and bowed her head in agreement, "A most reasonable suggestion."

Hana and Yuki left the shed, followed by Arisa who called down to Kyo as she reached the door, "come on orange top, get your but out of that well, we're gonna go find out where Tohru went.

Kyo yelled angrily after them "Hey, wait a sec, aren't you going to help me out of this well! Get a ladder or something!" When silence met his outburst, Kyo realized he'd been abandoned. He sighed. 'Great, now what am I supposed to do.' The supposedly helpless cat in his arms yowled softly before springing suddenly into the air, leaving scratches on Kyo's arm as it went airborne. Kyo watched in surprise as the creature flew through the air, landed on the rim of the well, yowled again, and nonchalantly walked away.

Fuming in annoyance, and gingerly rubbing his new claw wounds, Kyo refused to be outdone by some uppity house cat with an attitude. Crouching to the ground, Kyo sprang into the air, and to his satisfaction, landed at the top of the well.

Shaking off his surprise, and chalking it up to his martial arts training finally paying off, Kyo raced after his companions yelling "Hey! Wait up!"


	4. explanations and plans

Kyo caught up with his companions just as they reached the front door of the main house. He shot a heated glare at Yuki, still annoyed about being abandoned in the well. Yuki met his anger with nothing but a raised eyebrow and disdainful look before turning to watch Hana firmly rap on the front door. A mere second or two passed before a kindly looking middle aged woman with short black hair opened the door.

"Hello, is there something I can help you with?"

Yuki, Kyo, and Arisa all glanced at Hana, their unconsciously elected spokesperson. She paused a moment before replying.

"Yes, you see, we came with our friend to visit her mother's grave. We'd finished paying our respects and were wandering your lovely grounds when she was distracted by a cat—darling Tohru is so very fond of cats—and she went running after it into a shed. We followed her, but when we entered the building, there was no sign of Tohru; the shed was empty but for a dry well. We were wondering if you might know how she could have disappeared so suddenly, if there was something peculiar about the shed, or well, perhaps a secret door, or an exit we failed to notice."

Kyo looked at Hana, not surprised that she'd edited her wave-reading abilities out of the story, before observing the woman still standing in the doorway. Her face was unnaturally white; shock, dismay, and worry battled for dominance over her features. She took a deep steadying breath, as if to prepare for some great revelation, but all the came out of her mouth was an agitated "Oh dear…" before she trailed into silence.

Hana remained calmly standing in front of the agitated woman as Arisa, Kyo, and Yuki fidgeted behind her, not at all pleased with the woman's reaction, and growing steadily more worried by the second. Hana spoke again.

"Please Mrs…"

"Higurashi"

"Mrs. Higurashi, it is most important that you tell us whatever you know about that well."

Helplessly, Mrs. Higurashi wrung her hands and replied "It's quite an unusual story though, I doubt you'll believe me, I hardly did when I first found out…"

"I assure you Mrs. Higurashi, we are quite willing to believe whatever you tell us. We ourselves are rather… unusual. I personally can sense emotions as waves, and two of my friends are under a curse that turns them into animals at most inconvenient moments."

Yuki and Kyo stared at Hanajima in shock, her last sentence ringing in their ears. 'She knows!' they both thought in disbelief. They simultaneously eyed Arisa who was smiling at them wryly. 'They both know!!' Yuki and Kyo were so dumbfounded, they almost missed Mrs. Higurashi's next words.

"Alright then, why don't you all come in and sit down, it's a rather long story."

Yuki and Kyo numbly followed Mrs. Higurashi and their friends inside, mentally racing forwards towards the implications of their secret getting out. It wasn't until they accidentally sat next to each other on a couch, across from Mrs. Higurashi who had perched herself on a convenient stool, that they remembered why they were there in the first place. They shared a significant look, for once thinking on the same wavelength 'First we find out what happened to Tohru, then we deal with the curse.' Having agreed (for once) upon a course of action, they uncomfortably edged away from each other until they were at opposite ends of the couch, and settled in to listen to Mrs. Higurashi's explanation.

Thirty minutes later, Mrs. Higurashi had finished telling them about the magic of the well, and how her daughter Kagome used it to travel back in time. She'd explained about demons, miko powers, a jewel called the Shikon no Tama, and her daughter's quest to collect all the jewel shards and put them back together.

Kyo sat in the lengthening silence trying to absorb everything Mrs. Higurashi had told them. Time travel just seemed so… ludicrous, and everything she'd said about demons and mikos souned like something straight out of mythology. Heck, there probably were myths about them, especially if everything she'd said was true. It all seemed so improbable, but at the same time he couldn't help thinking about his own curse. Turning into an animal when you're hugged by the opposite gender is just as odd as time travel, so maybe…

Kyo could see that Arisa and Yuki were warring with similar indecision, but they seemed to come to the same conclusion as he had. It sounded insane, illogical, but it could be true, and it was their only lead. Hana looked as immoveable as ever, betraying no doubts, if she'd even had any in the first place. Once again, she was the first to break the silence.

"Mrs. Higurashi, how can we get Tohru back? Kyo has already jumped into the well, and the time portal did not open for him."

Mrs. Higurashi paused for a moment, obviously surprised that they'd accepted her story without question, before answering.

"As I told you, Kagome and her friend Inuyasha are the only ones I know who can go through the well. Frankly, I'm quite surprised that you friend went through. However, Kagome promised to return home in two days to catch up on schoolwork and restock her pack. If you come back then, I'm sure she could help you. Maybe you could bring a picture of your friend Tohru so that she could search for her in the Sengoku period."

"You expect us to leave Tohru all alone in the past for two days! If the place is as dangerous as you say, she could have already been attacked by demons!" Arisa protested.

"I'm very sorry, I wish I could help you, but I don't think there is anything we can do but wait" Mrs. Higurashi replied apologetically.

Hana also looked distressed at the thought of Tohru alone and defenseless for two days, but, as usual, spoke as the voice of reason.

"Would you mind then if one of us stayed on the shrine grounds to watch the well? Tohru might find her way back through, and even if she doesn't, one of us should be here to talk to Kagome and explain our situation when she returns.

Mrs. Higurashi nodded eagerly.

"Certainly, I'd be happy to accommodate one of you. I can have the guest bedroom ready in a couple hours if you'd like to run home and grab a change of clothes. I'll have my son Sota keep an eye on the well until then."

"Thank you Mrs. Higurashi. One of us will be back in two hours to watch the well. If you'll excuse us, we probably ought to be going now." Hana replied.

Mrs. Higurashi escorted the group to the door, and then left to clean out the guest bedroom. The four teenagers quietly walked down the steps leading to the street below and then stopped once they were off the shrine grounds.

Arisa broke the silence. "I'll stay here and wait for Tohru, no one will care if I'm gone for a few days."

Hana nodded solemnly, and the group fell back into a stifling silence.

Kyo suddenly burst out loudly "There's no way we can just give a picture of Tohru to some chic we don't even know and expect her to be rescued."

"I agree," said Yuki, "we ought to be the ones to search for Ms. Honda."

"Mhmm," murmured Hana, "that was part of the reason I suggested one of us wait at the shrine."

"I'm with you Hana," agreed Arisa, "there's no way I'm letting Kagome go back through that well without us. If she has some sort of miko powers, she should definitely be able to take us to the past with her."

Kyo looked at Hana and Arisa exasperatedly. He was glad that they had a plan, but determined to cement his place in it. There was no way he was going to be left out of rescuing Tohru. Before he could speak again though, Yuki broke in.

"Shouldn't we make more definite plans then? If we're going to be leaving for the past in two days, and don't know how long it will take to find Tohru and get back, we should probably prepare for the worst."

The group settled in to talking and, after minimal disagreements and surprisingly few insults thrown back and forth, came to an agreement. Since Arisa would be stationed at the well, and unable to do much packing, or preparations, Hana would pack for both herself and her friend. Hana also firmly stated that she would be in charge of packing the food, shuddering delicately at the thought of what Yuki and Kyo would consider acceptable sustenance. Kyo volunteered to gather the essentials they would need for camping, drawing upon his experience training in the mountains. After a minor argument, he convinced Arisa and Hana that tents were a cumbersome and pointless extravagance, but he agreed to bring a tarp in case it rained. Yuki decided to research the history of the Sengoku period and to make up excuses for them all missing school.

After nearly everything had been hashed out, a new and unappealing problem occurred to Kyo.

"Remember Mrs. Higurashi said something about demons? We should probably bring weapons, can you girls even defend yourselves?"

Asuna replied grimly "Good point orange top, thanks for the reminder, I'll grab my pipe when I stop by my house."

"What do you expect to do with that? Bash them over the head?" Kyo asked, not even bothering to hide his skepticism.

"Yep," Arisa replied nonchalantly, "works fine on people, don't see why it wouldn't knock out a demon."

Kyo cringed, and decided not to belabor the point. He turned to Hana. "Well, what about you?"

"Hmm, I can always strike out with my waves, but I confess I would prefer not to unless it is absolutely necessary… I would be grateful for a weapon."

"Heh, glad you at least see sence. I'll take you to see Shishou tomorrow, I'm sure he'll be happy to let you borrow something, might even give you a quick lesson."

"I believe I will accompany you," Yuki said, glibly ignoring the fact that Kyo had purposefully excluded him from the invitation.

Kyo grunted something about annoying busybody rats, but didn't bother to argue.

Yuki paid no attention to Kyo's animalistic noises and continued on.

"By the way, Ms. Hanajima, Ms. Uotani, how long have you known about the Sohma curse?"

Arisa laughed softly, "Oh, practically since we first met you."

"Indeed," said Hana, "I could tell right from the beginning that you'd been cursed, your waves were so different."

"And after that sleepover with Tohru," Arisa added, "we figured out that you turned into animals when hugged by a girl, but we could tell Tohru knew, and was trying to help you keep it a secret, so we decided not to say anything."

"Then why did you go blabbing to that shrine keeper about it?" Kyo asked angrily.

Hana leveled a frigid stare at him, "I had to tell her something to earn her trust. Would you prefer that we still not know where Tohru is?"

Kyo choked on his words, he would do anything to save Tohru, even if it meant exposing the curse.

"In any case," Arisa said, "I doubt a woman with a time portal in her back yard is going to tell anyone about your curse. Now, I'd love to chat some more, but if I'm going to be back here in just a couple hours, I need to run. Pack to do, ya know?"

"Fine" muttered Kyo.

"We'll see you in a couple days Ms. Uotani, don't forget to call us as soon as Kagome arrives, or if Tohru comes back," Yuki said.

"Yeah, Yeah, I won't forget," Arisa replied before running off.

Hana, Yuki, and Kyo shared one last glance of mutual resolution before departing to prepare for their trip to the past.


	5. blue oblivion

Kagome sprinted through the forest towards the bone eaters well, the nearly empty pack on her shoulders bouncing with every step. She'd promised her mom she'd be back today, and no matter what Inuyasha said to the contrary, school was important, she couldn't completely abandon her life in the future!

Kagome reached the well clearing and scanned the area for Inuyasha. 'Nope, no sign of him,' she thought happily. Unfortunately, her celebration turned out to be premature, as a highly irritated hanyou sprang out of the trees and landed in front of her.

"Where do you think you're going wench?"

Kagome huffed angrily. She hated these confrontations; they nearly always followed the same script. Inuyasha refused to let her go home, she tried to argue, he refused to listen to sense, and then she'd sit him and dive into the well while he was still slammed to the ground. 'Honestly, you'd think he'd have learned to compromise by now, I don't even go home that often.' Kagome decided to at least start out reasonably this time.

"Inuyasha, I promised my mom I'd come back today, I won't be gone long, just a day so I can get more supplies and catch up on my schoolwork."

"No way Kagome, you know we have to look for jewel shards, there's a new rumor about a demon controlling people's minds a couple villages over. This is no time to go running home to take some stupid tests."

It's not just school though, I'm all out of ramen," Kagome replied craftily, hoping to reason with Inuyasha's stomach if his brain wouldn't listen, "and anyway, that rumor wasn't very substantial, the guy who told us was just trying to convince us to buy some worthless charm to ward off mental probes."

"Keh, fine, but if you're not back in a day, I'll drag you back here myself."

Kagome was gratefully surprised that Inuyasha had given in so easily. 'Hmm, maybe I should use the ramen line more often," she thought as she jumped into the well and was surrounded by a familiar blue light.

When she emerged back in her own time, Kagome was relieved to see a ladder had been left for her to climb out of the well with. Her mom had been reluctant to set one up in the well permanently, lest some visitor to the shrine decide to go exploring, so usually Sota would just put it in when they knew she was coming. Needless to say, he sometimes forgot, and she'd have to holler until someone showed up and helped her out.

Kagome swiftly ascended the ladder, eager to get inside and indulge in a long, luxurious soak in the tub. To her surprise, when she finally climbed out of the well, she discovered that she was not alone in the well. A tall, foreign looking girl with straight blonde hair, wearing a black trench coat and long skirt lounged in the corner of the shed, dozing lightly. Kagome was torn between sneaking out quietly before the girl awoke and noticed her, and walking over to demand what on earth the girl was doing in her family's well house. Just as Kagome had decided sneakiness was her best option, the strange teenager's eyes opened and focused intently on Kagome's face.

"You must be Kagome, just got back from the past, huh, wish I hadn't fallen asleep, I'd have liked to see that."

Kagome stared dumbstruck.

"Wait, what? You know who I am… about the well? How? Who are you? Why were you waiting for me?"

"Whoa, whoa, calm down with the questions." Arisa stood up and stretch her arms behind her back, "I have a few things I need to ask you too you know. Anyway, I'm Arisa Uotani. Your mom told me about the well because my friend fell through it and disappeared; probably went back to your Sengoku period."

Kagome tried to absorb this unwelcome news, then shifted her pack uncomfortably and said, "Sorry, but this is a lot to take in, could we go inside? It sounds like I'll be going back to the Sengoku sooner than I'd planned, and if so I should probably start packing, and we can exchange stories."

"Sure, I'll just call my friends and tell them you're here, they really ought to be a part of this."

"Wait… more people know?"

"Yeah, four of us, we were all here visiting the shrine when Tohru disappeared."

"Great. How long will it take them to get here?"

"Mmm, probably about an hour…" 'Especially if they're bringing all the gear,' Arisa mentally added.

"Good," said Kagome, relieved that she'd have time for her bath and a change of clothes, "please excuse me, but I really ought to go freshen up."

Arisa eyes roved down from Kagome's face to take in the dirt smeared school uniform, scuffed shoes, and grimy skin.

"No problem, I'll be in in a moment or two," Arisa said understandingly, and began to dial Hana's number.

Inside the house, Kagome found her mom waiting for her in the kitchen. After listening to her mother's explanation of events, and her suggested solution, Kagome went upstairs to bathe, change, and ponder her new problems. She doubted Tohru's friends would be satisfied with leaving their friend's fate in her hands. That blonde Yankee had looked fierce, and even if they were content to let Kagome search alone, what was she supposed to do? The girl could be anywhere; eaten by demons, abducted by samurai, or simply lost in the forest. Also, while Kagome sympathized with the poor girl's plight, she was busy searching for jewel shards. She doubted Inuyasha would be pleased about interrupting their quest to search for an errant teenager from the modern world.

What puzzled Kagome the most though, was how Tohru could have gone to the past. Kagome ws only able to travel because of the Shikon jewel, without it, even she would be stuck in the present. What was special about Tohru?

Kagome could still remember when she first fell through the well. She sometimes wondered why she hadn't just jumped right back in once she realized that she wasn't home anymore. But, though the sudden time travel was disorienting, the Sengoku was really quite beautiful, so of course she'd foolishly explored. She thanked her lucky stars that she'd run into Kaede's village, and Inuyasha. Shattering the jewel was a disaster of epic proportions, but honestly, it could have been worse. Wandering off in a different direction could have led to Naraku gaining the complete jewel, Inuyasha never being released, and the world being consumed by evil.

'Hmm, I'm sure if I describe Tohru's trip down the well as a potentially world ending disaster, Inuyasha will see reason and help search for her, and even if he's reluctant, Miroku and Sango will back me up. If Tohru's as much a trouble magnet as me, she'll probably attract jewel shards, so we can even still continue our quest. In any case, I could never abandon a fellow time-traveler in need. If Inuyasha won't help, I'll search for her myself.'

Kagome finished changing, and hurried downstairs with new resolve and an armful of dirty laundry from her pack, hoping she'd have time to clean her clothes before the rest of Tohru's friends showed up. Her hopes were dashed when she found three strangers plus Arisa sitting in the living room staring at the cups of tea her mom had just handed out. Catching sight of Kagome clutching the dirty clothes, her mom walked over and carefully gathered up the bundle.

"I'll take care of these for you dear, and don't worry about packing, I'll get everything ready while you talk."

"Thank you Mom," Kagome said.

Her view now no longer hindered by a pile of clothes, Kagome saw that the strangers had brought more than just a picture of Tohru to help in the search. There were three packs, each at least as large as her own, propped up against the sofa, accompanied by what looked like a long steel pipe, a katana, and a staff highly reminiscent of the one Miroku carried around. Clearly she'd been right in supposing they would want to search for Tohru themselves.

Arisa stood up, as did her three companions.

"Kagome, these are my friends: Yuki Sohma, Kyo Sohma, and Saki Hanajima."

"It's nice to meet you, I'm Kagome Higurashi, please sit back down," Kagome replied, walking over to an armchair to seat herself as well.

Kagome could feel the group sizing her up, perhaps looking for the source of her time traveling power. She looked at them in turn; none were what you'd call average. The two Sohma boys had an almost demonic air to them with their odd coloring and attractive appearance. Hanajima, though she obviously had a thing for black, black hair, black cape, discreetly frilly black dress, emanated a serene, kind air that immediately put Kagome at ease though she could sense undercurrents of immense power. Similarly, Arisa, though she seemed friendly and good natured, was quite intimidating. They all had a hard edge, and Kagome did not want to get cut.

"My mother told me what happened with your friend a few days ago," Kagome ventured, "I haven't seen or heard anything about her while I've been in the past, so she probably got lost in the forest. One of my companions is half dog demon, so we should be able to track her relatively easily. I'm assuming, from the packs, that you plan on coming too?"

"Yes," replied the Sohma with dark grey hair and purple eyes that Kagome eventually identified as Yuki, "though unfortunately we won't all be joining you."

Kagome glanced back at the packs and weapons and understood, "only three of you then, may I ask why?"

"Tohru has enemies here who might take advantage of her disappearance. I am staying behind to make it look as if the four of us are on vacation together. I probably would get in the way if I came anyway, because I suffer from asthma, and other medical issues I have daily take medication for." Yuki sighed unhappily, "It was the only logical decision."

"Enemies?" Kagome asked, surprised.

"Yes," Yuki responded firmly, obviously unwilling to elaborate.

"Okay, well, I'm definitely going to help you find Tohru and get her back home, but I want you to understand what you're getting yourself into. The past is dangerous, if you're unable to protect yourself, then you'll just get in the way. I can see you've brought weapons, but do you know how to use them? My mom said something about a curse that turns you into animals. I'm guessing that would be you two," Kagome nodded at the two Sohmas," your auras feel sort of different. If you change in the middle of battle, you'll probably be killed, maybe even eaten. I know you want to save your friend, but if you aren't positive in your ability to save yourselves, then you should probably leave it up to me.

Arisa and Hana remained unshaken by Kagome's speech, but Kyo, annoyed that yet another person knew about the curse, and irrationally angry that she doubted his marital arts abilities, exploded.

"What the heck do you know about the curse?! I only turn into a cat if I'm hugged by a girl, and I doubt that will happen while I'm fighting—Kyo ignored his conscience quietly remiding him that it could and had happened before—and do you think we'd go into this without doing any research, that we'd needlessly further risk Tohru's life? Of course we know what we're doing!" jumping up he added "I'll fight you right now if you want proof that I can defend myself."

Kagome looked up at the furious redhead already crouched in a defensive stance. 'Wow, he's almost as bad as Inuyasha, and did he say cat? I can already tell how the two of them will get along…'

Out loud she said "I'm sorry, I didn't intend to insult you, merely to make sure you understand the situation. If you say you can fight, I'll believe you, and in any case, if it came down to a match between the two of us, you'd probably win. I'm a priestess; my main weapons are my spiritual powers and my bow and arrow. Since you aren't a demon, and I doubt you'd agree to stand at a distance while I shot at you, you'd definitely win in a one on one match.

Kagome's words calmed the infuriated cat, and he sheepishly relaxed and sat back on the sofa.

"I may not be a martial artist like old orange top, but I can take care of myself," Arisa added, "and Hana here can zap people with electric mind waves."

"I would like to train with a weapon though," Hana said, "it would not do to rely solely on my wave-reading abilities. Speaking of which, you have quite delightful waves Kagome, very similar to Tohru in fact."

"Oh, umm, thank you? I guess Tohru could be a miko like me, it would help explain how she went through the well, and the wave similarity. Anyway, if you're sure you want to come through, then we can head out as soon as I've got my stuff packed. My mom's probably done with the laundry and most of the packing, but I still need to get more food…"

"I've actually packed enough food for about a month of traveling," Hana interrupted, "and I'm sure I've brought sufficient to feed about eight people as long as we are able to hunt and forage."

Kagome nodded, impressed, "wow, you guys came prepared, I usually just bring instant ramen, and candy for Shippo, actually I should probably grab some ramen anyway. Inuyasha will chew me out if I come back without it."

Hana looked horrified at the thought of eating nothing but ramen for weeks on end, and Kagome had a feeling that her job as official food preparer had just been passed on to a more fervent food enthusiast.

"How about I meet you guys at the well in a few minutes? I won't be long, just need to grab my stuff and say goodbye."

Arisa, Hana, and Kyo nodded and moved to collect their gear and wait at the well. Yuki paused and said, "I think I'll leave you all now. I don't want to see how you go through the well in case Hatori is ordered to look through my memories."

Kagome wondered, not for the first time, what the story was with these people. Teenage girls with "enemies," curses, martial arts, and mind reading, it all sounded rather… tumultuous for the modern era. She nodded though, and said, "Good idea, it was nice meeting you Yuki. Good luck making up excuses for everyone's absence. If you need any ideas, feel free to contact my grandfather. He's been making up illnesses to keep me out of school for about a year now."

Looking thoughtful, Yuki replied, "Thank you Kagome, I might try that." Then he turned to Kyo, and with unusual vehemence said, "if you come back without Tohru, I'll finally give you the fight you've been looking for, and it will be to the death." Then he strode away, leaving Kyo spluttering angrily in his wake, and Hana and Arisa looking vaguely annoyed at being ignored.

Kagome broke the tension. "Well, I'll see the rest of you outside," she said, before running into the kitchen to grab some ramen.

Five minutes later, the group was reunited in the shed and standing before the well.

"I'm not sure to go about this," Kagome confessed, "I've never tried bringing someone with me before. I think if we each hold a jewel shard and you three hold on to me as we jump, then it should work."

"What about me, I'll turn into a cat if I'm 'holding' on to you," Kyo objected.

"Hmm," Kagome said, "that might actually work for the best, the well is going to be quite crowded with all four of us and our gear, so if I'm holding you in my arms with Arisa and Hana on either side, there will be more room."

"No way! This plan sucks, I'll just go through on my own, I'm not going to let you carry me! Anyway, how are you girls going to deal with carrying four heavy packs?"

"But we'd be fine, all we're doing is falling, we can double up on the packs, and…"

Kagome was interrupted by Arisa who abruptly grabbed Kyo from behind and gave him a hug. A pop of displaced air later she was left holding an irritable orange cat and a bundle of clothes that angrily yelled "How dare you?!"

"You were being whiny," Arisa said as she handed Kyo over to Kagome and shoved his clothes in the closest pack. "We need to get to Tohru, and this is the most practical way whether you like it or not. You're wasting time complaining."

"My way would have worked just fine!" Kyo yelled "you didn't have to manhandle me!"

Hana smoothly cut in "let's not waste more time arguing. Kyo, you're a cat now, so we might as well stop wasting time. Kagome, are you ready with the jewel shards?"

Kagome nodded, very conscious of the boy/cat in her arms. It was one thing hearing about the curse, but a completely different matter to see it in action. How depressing, to never be able to hug your mom, sister, friend, and how embarrassing to accidentally turn into an animal even with accidental contact. She supposed it wasn't as bad as a deathly wind-tunnel, but still horrid in its own way.

Kagome, Arisa, and Hana arranged themselves at the tip of the well, jewel shards in hand, packs precariously slung over shoulders. "Okay," said Kagome, "on the count of three lets jump, one…two…three!"

Three girls and a fuming cat fell into blue oblivion.


	6. walking

Tohru awoke slowly from her deep slumber. Feeling a small child curled against her back she muttered "Kisa," trying to remember if the girl had been visiting and decided to have a sleepover. Turning over she registered hard ground, mercifully dull rocks, and Rin. Yesterday's memories all came streaming back. The well, the demon, saving Rin, being saved by Sesshomaru, being adopted by Rin, and finally shopping.

Sesshomaru hadn't given her a second glance since then, barely acknowledging her presence, something which simultaneously relieved and unnerved Tohru. He'd simply continued walking as if knowing that he would be followed, and, of course, he was right. The toad creature, Jaken, after he'd finished scraping and bowing to the aloof lord, had turned on her and started brandishing his staff, only to be chased away by a giggling Rin waving a crown of flowers. Since then he'd kept his distance, though still muttering something about worthless humans, and shotting Sesshomaru worried looks. Before they'd stopped for the night, Sesshomaru had handed Rin some money and pointed out a village half visible through the trees. Obviously accustomed to the routine, Rin had grabbed Tohru's hand and puled her into the village, saying "Lord Sesshomaru has given us money for clothes and food, we must hurry before it becomes too dark."

In the fading light, Tohru had stared in dismay at the final proof that she was very far from home. Wooden huts, livestock, and suspicious glares from the villagers met her wide blue eyes. Rin had ignored the curious looks and headed straight for a food vendor by the side of the road. After buying some dumplings for Tohru and herself, she'd asked where she could purchase some new clothes. The vendor, after casting a critical look at Tohru's odd apparel, had replied that there was no tailor in the village, but that if they went a few houses down there was a women selling some old used kimonos, and that if she didn't have what they needed in the way of clothing, could at least furnish them with needle and thread for repairs.

An hour and three houses later, Rin and Tohru emerged with new kimonos, shoes, a pack, food, and the suggested needle and thread. Tohru, though still feeling completely disoriented, emerged incredibly grateful for Rin's patient kindness, and the needle and thread. She was lost in a completely foreign world, with absolutely nothing to her name, and yet this little girl was helping her, no questions asked. 'It seems like I'm always imposing on the kindness of strangers,' Tohru reflected sadly, 'first the Sohmas, now Sesshomaru and Rin. At least with the Sohmas I could do something to repay them, but it seems like there isn't any way I can help Sesshomaru or Rin, except now I can mend their clothes…'

Tohru sat up, careful not to disturb Rin, still asleep beside her, and scanned the clearing for the demon lord. After they'd returned from the village, he'd led them deeper into the forest before stopping and settling down with his back to a tree. This morning though, he was nowhere to be seen. With relief, Tohru noted that Jaken and Ah Un were still in their positions from the night before, and decided he must have just gone for a walk, he did seem to be rather fond of walking she reflected, or maybe he went to get food for himself, as she hadn't seen him eat so far. Regardless, she decided to take advantage of the intimidating lord's absence, and she pulled Rin's torn orange and white checkered kimono, and her new sewing supplies out and began to work.

Tohru settled in to her repairs, and became so absorbed that she didn't even notice Sesshomaru's return to the clearing. That is, she didn't notice until he none to gently kicked Jaken into a tree, and told her to "wake Rin." Tohru hastily returned her work to the pack and softly called Rin's name. By the time Rin awoke, Sesshomaru was already striding away, followed by jaken crying "my lord, what has this lowly servant done to offend you?" Shouldering her pack, Tohru followed Rin as she grabbed Ah Un's reigns and happily skipped after Sesshomaru.

"Rin," Tohru said as she walked next to the sunshiney young girl, "what was that creature that attacked you yesterday?"

"Rin thinks it was probably a weasel demon."

"A demon? Really? I've never seen one before…"

Rin looked at Tohru in surprise, "Rin does not understand, demons are everywhere! Lord Sesshomaru is a demon, Jaken is a demon, there are all sorts of demons! Why has Tohru never seen one?"

"I'm not sure… I think… I must be from the future, or a different world. There aren't as many trees where I'm from, and we have electricity, and school, and stores, and no demons…"

Rin looked at Tohru wide-eyed "Rin would like to hear more about Tohru's home. How did Tohru come here?"

"I'm not sure why I'm here; it was an accident. I'd be happy to tell you about my world, could you tell me about this place?"

Rin smiled broadly, "Rin would be happy to help Tohru."

The two human girls walked on together exchanging stories. Tohru talked about her friends the Sohma's, and tried to explain electricity, cars, and school. Rin praised Lord Sesshomaru's kindness, debriefed Tohru on the different types of demons, and talked about the village where she grew up. Tohru realized that she and Rin were similar in that they'd both lost their parents, and found surrogate families thanks to the kindness of strangers, after that she looked at Sesshomaru in a slightly less fearful light.

Tohru was telling Rin about her job as a janitor when she felt a slight pull from deep in her chest. She paused in her conversation with Rin and, noticing that Sesshomaru had stopped walking, came to a halt as well. The pull was similar to the one she'd felt while camping on the Sohma lands which had brought her to Shigure's house and into the secret of the Zodiac curse, but this one was stronger, more insistent. The pull increased in strength, and Tohru looked up, sensing that the source was somewhere in the sky. Therefore, she was only half surprised when a sharp faced woman with glowing red eyes dressed in a white and maroon striped kimono flew down on a large white feather and alighted in front of Sesshomaru.

"Kagura," Sesshomaru said, "this Sesshomaru tires of your visits and requests, you would do well to leave before this Sesshomaru loses patience."

Tohru watched Kagura wince slightly before replying "I have no intention of imposing on you my lord, I'm sent by Naraku. He has heard of your new companion and ordered me to investigate. I wished to warn you of his interest."

Tohru wondered who this "Naraku" was. It sounded like she was already causing trouble for Sesshomaru, and she hadn't even done anything yet… at least, nothing but follow him around and shoot pink light out of her fingers, but she hadn't had a choice in either matter… she wondered if Naraku was anything like Akito.

Sesshomaru gazed cooly at Kagura "the girl is of no interest to this Sesshomaru, you would do better to direct your warnings towards her."

"and yet you allow her to accompany you?"

Sesshomaru met her question with an impassive stare.

"Very well then," Kagura turned to look at Tohru. "Girl— "

Kagura broke off as their eyes met, burning red embers colliding with soft teal orbs. Tohru clutched her chest and fell to her knees, her eyes still locked with Kagura's, as an immense heavy pain closed in on her heart. She dimly noticed that the demoness looked angry and wondered if it was some demonic power that made her heart feel like it was filled with a thousand sorrows, a thousand heartbreaks. Perhaps 'Kagura' had decided it would be easier to kill her than warn her. Abruptly, the pain stopped, and Tohru was left staring at empty air as Kagura sped away across the sunlit sky. Grateful for an end to the pain, Tohru looked at Sesshomaru questioningly. Had he saved her, or had the demoness changed her mind?

Sesshomaru offered no answers. He merely scanned her body, as if checking for obvious injuries, let out a speculative "Hnn" and resumed his walk onward.

Rin worriedly knelt by Tohru's side and asked "Is Tohru okay, maybe Rin could convince Ah Un to let her ride for a while and rest?"

Tohru reassured her that she was fine, and shakily got back to her feet.

'What on earth was that' she wondered, 'Maybe it's a normal occurrence, Sesshomaru certainly seemed to take it in stride.' After a few shaky steps, Tohru was able to walk steadily again. 'Although,' she pondered, 'Sesshomaru does not seem like one easily shaken, and walking away seems to be his reaction to practically everything. I wonder if he has a home or if all he does is walk around and camp.'

Tohru was drawn out of her reverie when she noticed Rin still gazing at her worriedly.

"It's okay Rin, I really am fine, I just felt a bid odd for a moment. Don't worry. Now, weren't we talking about mops?"

Rin, happily distracted from Tohru's mysterious collapse, nodded eagerly, and they resumed their conversation.


	7. followers

Kagura sped back towards Naraku and her enforced servitude, puzzling over Sesshomaru's deceptively innocent looking blue eyed companion. Rin's cry carried the girl's name to Kagura's ears as she fled, Tohru. Nothing about the girl signaled danger, be it her clothes, manner, or name, and yet… the instant their eyes met Kaagura had been frozen. Her winds still, her voice cut mid thought. Even as Kagura struggled against invisible bonds, unable to even tear her eyes away, she'd seen that the girl was in immense pain, and wondered what on earth she was trying to do. An attack that incapacitated you without actually harming the enemy seemed pretty useless, perhaps the girl had been attempting to rein in powers beyond her control.

In any case, she hadn't stuck around to find out. The last thing she needed to do was tick off Sesshomaru by killing his new pet, and if the girl had continued to attack, Kagura would have been forced into action. Definitely better to flee as soon as possible, and hope Sesshomaru tired of the girl so that she could strike back without fear of consequences.

Still wondering why Sesshomaru allowed such useless and bizarre creatures to follow him around, Kagura entered Naraku's barrier. As she alighted from her feather and entered his latest castle hideout, she began to carefully breathe through her mouth. 'Why does Naraku insist on turning all his hideouts into disgusting body festooned horrors? Surely he doesn't enjoy being surrounded by decomposing flesh, dirt, and gloom? Maybe it's just because he is completely and utterly evil and has a twisted sense of humor.' She reflected. Then she entered the presence of the demon himself. Her attention was drawn instantly to his left hand, which to her dismay, clutched her heart. When she saw Kanna standing to his right she understood, and braced herself for the worst.

"Kagura, I thought I ordered you to investigate Sesshomaru's new pet and eliminate her if she appeared dangerous."

"Yes Naraku, but she is merely another weak human, in fact, she collapsed as soon as she saw me, perhaps out of fear," Kagura replied hopefully.

"I do not appreciate lies Kagura, the girl completely immobilized you. Don't attempt to convince me you stood in front of Sesshomaru with your mouth agape so he could admire your teeth," Naraku chuckled ominously.

"I am most displeased Kagura. Do not forget, I hold your heart hostage." Smiling sadistically, he clenched his hand around her absent organ.

Kagura winced reflexively, before suddenly realizing she couldn't feel a thing! Before Naraku could share in her discovery, she was out of the room and waving her fan, thankful this once for Naraku's bizarre taste in interior decorating, as a wall of bodies formed between herself and Naraku. Leaping hastily atop her feather, she was already beyond Naraku's barrier before a mass of tentacles erupted from the stronghold and gave chase.

Kagura instinctively headed for the only demon possibly powerful enough to protect her against Naraku's fury, and prayed that Sesshomaru would still be near where she'd left his group. Hopefully he would recognize that she was fleeing from Naraku, and not attacking with him for once, in any case, it was a chance she would have to take. Her hopes were slightly buoyed by the way Naraku was still lagging a bit behind her. She might have enough time to get out a very short explanation. But then, wasn't that Sesshomaru's style, conveying a point in as few syllables as possible? 'Maybe I should speak in third person' she thought giddily.

It was odd, but even though she was being pursued by an enraged twisted demon hell bent on murder, she was strangely… cheerful. She was finally miraculously free from Naraku's control, able to go wherever she pleased, serve whomever she wanted. Heck, while she was at it, she might as well be flattered that Naraku considered her so important that he'd chased after her immediately, rather than waiting to hatch some nefarious plot as was more his style.

Kagura's scattered musings ended when she caught sight of Sesshomaru and his companions in an open field. She plummeted downward, landing a bit less gracefully than on her last visit in her haste, and spilled her explanation to a slightly irritated looking Sesshomaru.

"Lord Sesshomaru, I just escaped from Naraku's fortress, I'm free of his control, he no longer holds my heart, and he hunts me even as we speak. I do not seek your protection, but your aid in destroying a common enemy."

Sesshomaru, predictably, seemed rather displeased with her words, and Kagura barely had time to hope that he was more annoyed with Naraku than with her, when Naraku swooped down from the sky and landed a short distance away.

"So, Kagura," he jeered, "I see you've already found a new master."

Kagura realized that she was standing defensively in front of Sesshomaru, and glanced apologetically back at the demon lord. Frankly, he'd probably be insulted by the insinuation that she was his underling. Not that she wanted to exchange one servitude for another, but Sesshomaru probably deemed her unworthy anyway. All she could hope was that his desire to kill Naraku was greater than his distaste of her.

"I would not presume myself worthy of serving Lord Sesshomaru," Kagura replied, attempting to emulate the lord's icy calm.

"And yet here you are," Naraku retaliated, "it would appear you lack the strength to stand on your own. You are incapable of defending your long sought freedom. How pitiful."

"No Naraku, you are the pitiful one, hiding away in your disgusint hellholes, sending out little puppets to do your bidding, too cowardly to face your enemies honorably in battle, you resort to elaborate deceptions and trickery. You disgust me. Even if I die today it will be triumphantly in battle with my tormentor, rather than by having the life slowly squeezed out of my captive heart."

Sesshomaru and Naraku seemed to tire of banter simultaneously, for a tentacle went rocketing towards Kagura only to be sliced by Sesshomaru's poison whip. Naraku completely abandoned his human form and began rapidly morphing into a spider octopus hybrid while oozing miasma. Kagura was distracted from this disturbing sight by Sesshomaru, who moved to stand before her and said, "This Sesshomaru is grateful to you for luring Naraku out into the open, however, this Sesshomaru will not permit you to interfere with this fight. Protect Rin."

Kagura wisely decided not to argue with Sesshomaru, if he wanted to claim Naraku's death on his own, so be it. She ran over to Rin, grabbed her arm, and said "come girl, we must get out of Lord Sesshomaru's way." Pulling her feather out of her hair she prepared to take to the skies with her charge, only to find Rin still clutching Tohru's arm. Glancing back she saw that Naraku and Sesshomaru were already engaged in battle, so although she was loathe to save Tohru as well, she didn't have time to argue.

Instead, Kagura dragged both girls onto her feather, ordered them to hold on, and sprang into the air to hover well above the battle, shortly followed by the two headed dragon and Jaken.

Kagura was grateful when her two companions refrained from screaming. Rin, though obviously worried about Sesshomaru, as she watched the battle below, seemed utterly nonchalant about being carried away by a former enemy, and Tohru appeared content to follow Rin's lead. Satisfied that the girls wouldn't try anything stupid like jum,ping off the feater, Kagura turned her attention to the fight down below. Seesshomaru was holding his own thus far although he was fighting with nothing but his bare claws and energy whip. Tokijin remained sheathed at his side by Tenseiga, 'perhaps he fears the sword would be more likely to help Naraku than harm him,' Kagura considered, 'it would make sense since it was forged from the fangs of one of his incarnations.' Unfortunately, for every tentacle Sesshomaru lopped off and every spurt of miasma he incinerated, Naraku remained unphased, cackling dementedly and easily regenerating his repulsive body.

Kagura's attention was drawn away from the conflict by Rin's voice, "Has Kagura left Naraku? Is she free?"

Kagura contemplated the young child solemnly gazing at her and wondered just how much Rin knew. "Yes Rin, Naraku no longer controls my heart."

Rin grinned widely back at her, and Kagura began to understand why Sesshomaru kept the brat around, it was hard not to like Rin at least a little bit. "Rin is glad."

Looking slightly bewildered, Tohru asked, "So that's Naraku?"

Eying Tohru with distates, Kagura replied "Yes. I might as well warn you, he's taken an interest in you, and Naraku's curiosity can be absolutely deadly if you're not careful."

Tohru shuddered and unconsciously raised her hand to her chest, "and that man controlled your heart? How horrible."

"Yes," Kagura replied, agreeing with both statement and question. Noticing that Tohru's position was similar to when she'd frozen her in place, Kagura was about to warn her not to try anything funny, when a singularly unappealing thought struk her mind.

"Tohru, why did you paralyze me when we met?" Kagura inquired, desperately hoping that she didn't owe her freedom to this human twit.

"Huh?" Tohru replied, momentarily stunned by the change in subject, then surprised by the question, "Oh no… I paralyzed you? I didn't mean to… I thought you were doing something to me, my chest hurt so much… I'm so sorry! Did I hurt you? Please forgive my mistake!"

Kagura interrupted her stream of apologies, "it is of no matter, you say your chest hurt? If what I suspect is true, then I ought to be thanking you for what you did. You did not harm me."

Tohru looked anxious, "What do you mean?"

"Naraku was unable to harm me only after I had my encounter with you… I don't know what you did, but it is reasonable to assume that you facilitated my liberation." Kagura eyed Tohru sidelong before returning her gaze to the battle below. "You must have great powers, I cannot think of any being that could have done the same, and believe me, I have been searching for a means to escape Naraku's almost since I was born."

Kagura was unsurprised to hear Tohru spluttering at her back, "but, but, I'm just an ordinary girl, human. I'm not even from here! I go to school, cook, clean… I don't know how to restore hearts, or harness powers…"

The girl fell silent, and Kagura considered her words. 'Hmm, 'school,' sounds like that odd miko Inuyasha travels with. That girl doesn't control her powers well either, though they are obviously great… wonder what the story is with Tohru. Might as well offer some comfort, I do owe her…'

"Whether you knew what you did or not, I am grateful. You sound much like the miko Kagome, perhaps your origins or powers are the same. I would advise you not to reject your abilities, confusing though they may be. You will undoubtedly need them, just as she has needed hers."

"This is the second time Kagome has been mentioned to me. Sesshomaru thought I might know her as well. Who—"

Tohru's question cut into a gasp as she gripped the feather that Kagura had abruptly maneuvered to avoid a long, miasma laden tentacle shot at them. The tentacle dropped away, severed from below by Sesshomaru, only to be followed by three more.

Kagura angled her craft away from the attack and brandished her fan in defense. "Dance of the blades," she cried, shredding Naraku's extensions.

On the ground, Sesshomaru took advantage of Naraku's divided attention and closed in, swiftly dismembering his main body more quickly than Naraku could regenerate himself. Coldly calculating black eyes took on a slightly panicked gleam, and before Sesshomaru could finish dissolving Naraku with his glowing green poison, the human turned hanyou slithered out of his reach and fled for the skies, forming an opalescent red barrier around the remainder of his flesh as he escaped.

Kagura watched her former master flee and wished momentarily to follow and try to finish him off, 'after all, his barriers seem to have little effect on me, one of the few benefits to being an incarnation,' she reasoned. Remembering her promise to Sesshomaru though, Kagura decided not to tempt fate, or the demon lord's patience, and instead sent her feather descending towards ground.

However, before she could land, she was met midair by Sesshomaru who said "come" and flew off towards the forest. Kagura took one last look at the field of battle filled with bits of Naraku, some still wriggling ominously, and followed the demon lord.

Sesshomaru's only goal seemed to be to remove them from the field, perhaps to shelter Rin from standing amove bits of Naraku's flesh, and once that was achieved he quickly returned to earth. Kagura followed, and as soon as the feather neared the ground, Rin tumbled off of it and ran to Sesshomaru, leaving Tohru and Kagura to stand awkwardly next to each other.

"Rin is glad Lord Sesshomaru won, thank you for protecting Rin." She smiled happily, and seemed to want to hug the icy lord, but held back, conscious that he would frown upon such contact, especially in front of others.

Sesshomaru looked down at Rin, almost fondly, but all traces of affection left his eyes when he lifted them to examine Kagura.

"Now that Naraku has fled, you will explain to this Sesshomaru how you came to be free of him Kagura."

Kagura was momentarily grateful that she had discovered the probable cause of her liberation; she doubted Sesshomaru would be satisfied with an 'I don't know,' or 'it just happened…'

"Tohru accidentally freed me. You saw it happen, something happened when our eyes met… I didn't even realize something had happened until I returned to Naraku and he tried to punish me by squeezing my heart. She can't have returned my original heart to me, I saw it in Naraku's hand, so I'm not sure what she did do."

"Hnnn." Sesshomaru said, turning his gaze to Tohru, "Girl, you were unaware of your own actions? Explain."

Kagura felt her heart begin to race, and she tuned out Tohru's answer to the lord's question. She'd already heard it before, the stupid human had no control over her abilities. However, she wondered why her body was reacting in fear, though she was currently under no stress. Sesshomaru wasn't even questioning her, all his attention was on Tohru… Kagura looked at the girl beside her, pinned under Sesshomaru's mighty stare. She looked distinctively nervous, and red faced as she tried to describe her reaction to Kagura. Groaning mentally, Kagura waited until Tohru had finished speaking before she addressed Sesshomaru again."

"Lord Sesshomaru, I believe I have the answer to your question. It seems as though the girl has shared her heart with me. I feel, and share, her unease, we are in sync. One heart, two bodies."

At this explanation, to Kagura's immense annoyance, Sesshomaru looked rather amused.

"So you have gone from being tied to Naraku to depending upon a human girl for survival."

Kagura bristled at his tone, but couldn't help but agree. Some freedom, she should have known it was too good to be true.

"Yes, apparently I still need a heart. Too bad Naraku's probably destroyed it by now in rage."

"Hnn" Sesshomaru agreed, "no doubt you will wish to protect the human since her death would most likely signal her own."

Gritting her teeth, Kagura replied, "you have a most adept grip of the situation Lord Sesshomaru. I will indeed be accompanying Tohru, I assume by extension that means I will be joining you if there are no objections."

Lord Sesshomaru did not look pleased to have been included in her problems.

"The girl follows this Sesshomaru by her own inclination. No doubt now that she has an escort she will wish to return home."

Kagura wondered where "home" was, but Rin derailed her train of thought by scampering over to Tohru and hugging her tightly.

"Please don't leave Rin, Rin will miss Tohru!"

Kagura decided to add in her two cents, and hoped Sesshomaru wouldn't take umbridge. "Tohru, wherever we go, Naraku will follow, and attempt to destroy us both. I will protect you, but we have little hope of defeating him. I hope I speak for us both when I say I would prefer to live."

Tohru struggled with herself under Sesshomaru and Kagura's impatient gazes. She wanted to go home so very much, and surely Naraku couldn't follow her into another world, and yet… what if he could. From what she'd seen, Naraku would not hesitate to kill both her and all her friends and family, the Sohmas, Arisa, Hanajima, never mind the havoc he could wreak in her world. She simply couldn't endanger them, even if it meant never returning home. Finally, Tohru found words. Hugging Rin tightly she said "I would miss you too Rin, I will stay with you if you wish."

Raising her eyes to meet Sesshomaru's she added, "may Kagura and I accompany you and Rin?"

Sesshomaru was annoyed at having to outright accept a human and demoness into his company. It was far easier if they just followed him and waited to discover if they'd be cut down or allowed to live. Actual acknowledgement made it harder to deny a connection, and why females? No doubt next time he ran into Inuyasha he'd be accused of forming a harem; as if he, Lord Sesshomaru would actually form an attachment to anyone. Much as he wanted to cut down the irritating human and her reluctant protector with a single crack of his energy whip, he would not, because it would upset Rin, and he was loathe to lose her trust. Tenseiga thrummed at his hip, no doubt smugly pleased with such merciful thoughts. Utterly irritated with himself and the world in general, Sesshomaru turned about and walked away without answering Tohru's question, leaving the girls to come to their own conclusions.

To his displeasure, he heard three sets of feet following in his wake and Rin begin excitedly chatting with Tohru, and at Kagura.


	8. insults, attacks, and explanations

Kagome was starting to feel a bit panicky. She, Hana, Arisa, and Kyo had jumped through the well at least a minute ago, but they were still floating in deep blue, and the little specks of white light that usually floated innocently about were taking an unnerving level of interest in her friends. Kyo in particular was practically albino thanks to all the particles coating him.

"Uh, Kagome, does it always take this long?" Arisa asked.

"No, not usually, and the lights are acting weird…"

"Perhaps we are being judged," Hana offered.

"This thing better not be malfunctioning," Kyo complained.

"Hopefully it isn't," Kagome murmured, not wanting to consider the implications of getting lost in time.

To the group's semi-relief, at that moment the white flecks surrounding them dissipated and they were rudely dumped to the ground inside a very familiar well. As they hit the earth there was a loud pop, accompanied by a peach cloud, and Kagome found herself embracing a completely nude Kyo.

"Eeeyahhhhh!!!!" Inuyasha heard Kagome's scream and paused in the act of bopping Shippo on the head. She was back already? And already in trouble? He leapt up from the floor of Kaede's hut, ignoring Miroku and Sango's queries, and sped towards the well.

Accustomed by now to being abandoned abruptly and without explanation, Sango and Miroku sighed exasperatedly and rose to follow Inuyasha.

"Kagome must be back already."

"And probably in trouble."

"Kilala!"

Kagome swiftly recoiled from Kyo.

"Sorry! But what just happened?" Kagome asked as she awkwardly turned away from the former cat in the limited well space, "I thought you couldn't turn back while someone was hugging you?"

"Yeah orange top, what gives?" grumbled Arisa, who had also tried to give Kyo some privacy, "a little warning would have been nice."

Kyo, who was rather shell-shocked thanks to Kagome screaming in his newly sensitive ears, and swiftly turning redder than his hair, replied angrily:

"Don't blame me! I didn't know this would happen, and whose fault is it anyway for the transformation idea, huh? Just give me my clothes!"

"Fine, whatever, they're in one of the packs, get searching."

"At least it would appear we are at our destination," Hana said, gazing up at the sky.

"Yeah," said Kagome, desperately ignoring Kyo's cursing as he hastily dressed behind them. "I guess we might as well start climing…" a moment later and her curses joined Kyo's when a voice above them shouted "Kagome!" and Inuyasha's face appeared at the well opening.

"What the—… Kagome! What are you doing with a couple of girls and a cat demon?"

"It's a long story, but they're friends, could you just help us get out?!"

"Looks a little too friendly to me" Inuyasha growled back, angrily eyeing Kyo's state of partial undress.

"AcchhH! I can't deal with your attitude right now! Help or get out of the way!"

"Aint no way I'm leaving you alone, a second ago you were screaming, I don't care if it wasn't for help…"

Far too infuriated to register that Inuyasha was leaning over into the well to peer at them as he shouted at her, Kagome lost the fraying strands of her temper and cried out

"Inuyasha! SIT!"

Predictably, and to the considerable displeasure of all involved, Inuyasha's subjugation necklace yanked him headfirst into the well where he landed forcefully on Kagome, Arisa, Hana, and a mercifully clothed Kyo, resulting in a tumble and entanglement of limbs, packs, and shouts.

Miroku and Sango arrived at the clearing just as the cacophony erupted from the well.

"Aggh!"

"Geroff me!"

"INUYASHA!"

"This is your fault wench, why'd you have to be so stupid!"

"Just go away!"

"Get your hand away—"

"You were the one—"

"Can't breathe…"

"Ouch!"

"If this is one of your friends Kagome, I'm not sure I want to meet any of your enemies…"

Finally the beads released their downward pull and Inuyasha erupted from the well with Kagome slung over his shoulder. Miroku and Sango watched, worry quickly slipping into amusement, as Kagome and Inuyasha continued bickering.

"Let go of me you jerk!"

"Not until you explain what is going on and who those people are."

"Well since you just squashed them into the bottom of the well, maybe you should be apologizing instead of interrogating!"

"and whose fault was that?"

"Inuyasha—"

"don't even think about it, or we're both going down."

Behind Inuyasha and Kagome, her 'friends' emerged rather shakily from the well.

Miroku, who had expected more schoolgirls in ludicrously short green pleated skirts, was surprised (and a little disappointed) to see a male cat demon, an irate blond girl spinning a pipe, and an icy dark priestess emanating a truly formidable aura.

Sparks practically flew off of Hana as she fixed Inuyasha with a glare worthy of Sesshomaru.

"I suggest you release Kagome right now so that we can give you an explanation on our own terms, considering that you have unjustly attacked and insulted us in order to get your answers."

"Heck no, I—" Inuyasha's attention was so fixed on Hana's fluctuating waves that he noticed Arisa approaching him from the side too late to react. Rapidly swinging her pipe, she hobbled him at thee knees, and as his grip on Kagome loosened, she grabbed the girl and yanked her away.

Kagome took advantage of her freedom and set off on a litany of "sits" that embedded Inuyasha deeper and deeper into the earth. Hana and Arisa looked on in approval, and Kyo watched with confusion, and some sympathy. It certainly explained why the guy had landed on top of the, but he had to admit, it seemed like Inuyasha has getting it kind of harsh. He probably would have reacted similarly after all, if Tohru had been in a weird situation…

"Hey, maybe you should let up a little Kagome…" Kyo said tentatively

"Especially if you want Inuyasha to be conscious for your explanation…" Sango hinted.

Kagome looked up, ready with a sharp retort, but noticed Kyo.

"Kyo, you have cat ears?"

"What?!" Kyo reached up to his head and flinched as he found the sharp triangular points.

Arisa left her place by Inuyasha's prone body and walked over to examine Kyo.

"Oh, they're so cute Kyon-Kyon" she chuckled, and rubbed one of them between her fingers.

Kyo jerked away, "Hey, don't pet me, and don't call me that!" Glaring at Kagome he added, "Why the heck do I have these things anyway?"

"Maybe a side effect of time travel…" Kagome offered, "the well did seem pretty interested in the three of you, or maybe you're reacting to an increase in demonic energy… I don't know. I guess, my powers never showed themselves until I came here, maybe something similar happened to you."

"That would imply that we were somehow intended to be here, a possibility that I would rather not consider. I must admit though, I too feel different; the waves are clearer, stronger." Hana said.

"Yeah, you look awesome Hana," Arisa said enthusiastically, "You've got some great wave energy going there!"

Miroku coughed loudly in the background, and the group—except for Inuyasha who was still recovering from the numerous sits—turned to look at the monk and slayer.

"Could we move on to introductions? Sango and I are still very much in the dark as to why you're here, and we should probably take advantage of Inuyasha's temporary incapacitation.

A low growl arose from the human shaped crater, but no movement.

"Okay, that sounds like a good idea, we can figure out these odd changes later," Kagome said, and Kyo, Hana, and Arisa nodded in agreement.

"You've already 'met' Inuyasha. Sango, Miroku, and Kilala travel with me too in order to hunt Naraku. Hana, Arisa, and Kyo are from my present, their friend Tohru fell down the well, and she's lost somewhere around here. I helped them through so that we can all hunt her down."

"I see," Miroku said solemnly before walking forward to clasp Hana and Arisa's hands, "in that case, would either of you two lovely ladies be willing to bear my child?"

Sango's hand clenched around Hiraikotsu, itching to knock the monk over the head, but she held back, curious to see how the girls that had easily taken on Inuyasha would react.

"I fail to see how this has anything to do with locating Tohru." Hana stated witheringly, and removed her hand from Miroku's grip.

Arisa yanked her hand away as well and raised her pipe menacingly.

"Yeah, and why on earth would we bear your child anyway you creep." Giving his robes another look over she asked, "Are you actually a monk, cause you're sure not acting like one."

"It's a long and terrible story, you see I am cursed—"

Kagome, horrified that Hana and Arisa had been assaulted by yet another member of her group, grabbed Miroku and forcefully dragged him away from the two girls.

"I'm so sorry! I should have warned you about Miroku! Please don't take it too personally, he asks every woman he meets to bear his child."

"What sort of pervert does that?!" Kyo said.

"A curse one" Miroku replied cheerfully, "as I was trying to explain, Naraku has cursed me to carry a wind tunnel in my hand that will eventually consume me. The curse passes down through the generations, so naturally I need an heir. I am a monk, and therefore able to seal away the wind tunnel with my holy powers most of the time, I only unleash it during battle."

"Your curse does indeed sound terrible, but Arisa and I are disinclined to assist you in passing it on to some unfortunate child. Furthermore, when you meet Torhu, you will NOT make this request."

Miroku shuddered lightly—and made a silent note to himself not to grope Kagome's friends until he was positive they wouldn't kill him for the insult—and bowed his head politely in assent.

Sango stepped forward, grinning, and said

"_I_ would be happy to help you find Tohru, and I can guarantee that I will not assault, molest, or insult you in the process.

Arisa grinned back, "Thanks, that would be a pleasant change, when are we gonna get started?"

Kagome grimaced at Inuyasha and Miroku and replied, "How about we grab the packs and drop some of your stuff off at Kaede's. We might as well travel light, and you still haven't met Shippo. As soon as Inuyasha's recovered, we can start tracking Tohru.

At the mention of his name, Inuyasha struggled up out of his crater.

"Keh, forget that, just give me a couple minutes and I'll find that girl for you. Don't see why you even bothered coming here. You're just in the way." Inuyasha was about to charge off into the forest, but Kagome's voice stopped him.

"Inuyasha! Do not make me say the word again! We are searching together! I'll go with you for a quick scan of the woods. Sango, Mirkou, could you help bring the packs to Kaede's we'll meet you all back there."

"Sure Kagome," Sango said cheerfully, and turned back to the well.

"Keh, fine wench, just hurry up and get over here."

Kagome ran after Inuyasha as he strode angrily into the forest.

Seeing the worried, and irritated, looks of Torhu's friends, Sango reassured them, "Inuyasha just needs to blow off some steam. If we're lucky he'll find Tohru right away, but at the very least he should find a clue to where she's gone. Kagome will prevent him from doing anything stupid."

Kagome brushed past clinging tree limbs, trying to keep Inuyasha's red haori in sight. Beginning to feel a bit guilty about pounding another hanyou shaped hole into the landscape, she was reluctant to just subdue him again, but swiftly tiring of chasing him through the trees. 'Hopefully he's at least following a trail,' she thought.

With relief, Kagome saw that Inuyasha had come to a halt before a clearing of flowers. A few moments later and she finally caught up.

"So, did you find her scent?"

"Yeah," Inuyasha replied distractedly, "can't believe I didn't notice it before."

Kagome waited for elaboration, unsettled by Inuyasha's tense silence.

"Ummm, so why'd you stop here."

"Sesshomaru."

"Huh?"

"His scent trail joins Tohru's right here."

"What!?" Kagome automatically rescanned the ground searching for a body, and saw a pile of bones picked clean a little ways away. Stifling a moan of despair she pointed and asked "is that her?"

"No, a weasel demon."

"Thanks goodness, but what happened then? Does her scent disappear?"

"No. It follows the same path as Sesshomaru though."

"She followed Sesshomaru? Are you sure, maybe they just happened to go the same way?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out Kagome." Inuyasha replied sharply, falling to his knees and sniffing the ground carefully. "That kid he travels with, Rin, was here too… Damn, what is it about you girls from the future, that you're always running straight towards the greatest danger!?"

"Maybe we just both have a thing for dog demons," Kagome said, half heartedly trying to find the humor in an appalling predicament.

"Yeah right, or maybe you're both stupid twits with a death wish," Inuyasha grumbled under his breath.

Kagome caught, but ignored his remark and bravely sallied onward.

"At the moment, we're just going to have to assume that for some reason, Torhu is traveling with Sesshomaru. Let's head back and tell the others. It looks like this will take longer than you thought Inuyasha."

"Fine, but I still don't see why you brought those people, " Inushasha said, kneeling so that Kagome could ride on his back, "they're just going to slow us down, probably can't even fight. Hey, and what about our quest for the jewel. We can't just abandon our search to go look for some chick from the future."

"They're her friends; of course they want to find her. You've never abandoned me when I've been kidnapped or gotten lost." Seeing Inuyasha's look, Kagome rephrased her thought. "Oh, yeah, I forgot, I'm your shard detector, and that's the only reason you keep me around, but that is what friends do! They look out for each other! Tohru's an orphan, so she doesn't even have family to care for her, just her friends! Can't you see why they're so worried? That's why they're absolutely determined to get her back! Plus, I think they'll be more help than you think."

"Keh," Inuyasha replied, struck more than he wanted to admit by Kagome's explanation, he could relate to being an orphan. Lost in his thoughts, Inuyasha sped off towards Kaede's.

Kagome clutched Inuyasha's back and frantically tried to come up with positives to Tohru travelling with Sesshomaru, the 'killing perfection,' she could just see it now.

'Well guys, Tohru seems to be hanging out with Inuyasha's half brother who despises all humans, and happens to have a special grudge against us. On the plus side, I doubt he'll let anyone interfere with his victim…'


	9. ON HIATUS

I've realized how foolish I was to try to write two stories at once now that I'm back in classes again and trying to do an overload. I have every intention of finishing "Unconscious Innocence," but I'm going to put it on hiatus until I finish my other story, "Somehow I knew it would only get worse." Even with that story I'm probably not going to be able to update as often. Sorry to all my readers! This will be continued! Just not for a month or two while I try to keep ahead of work.


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